Legal weed crossing state borders: No big deal?

Picture this: Come Oct. 1, you head down to Portland to buy a small amount of Oregon’s newly legal recreational marijuana. It’s a bit of a drive, but maybe you’ll save a few bucks because of lower taxes there or you just want to give it a try. But, as you cross back over to Washington, you’ve suddenly broken one of the cardinal priorities set by the federal government to allow marijuana sales in the Northwest – carrying state-legal pot across the border.

So what now?

Vancouver shops like The Herbery see a lot of customers from Portland. Interstate travel with marijuana is already prevalent, and may become even more of a free market now that both states will be competing.

Well, according to authorities in both Portland and Vancouver, probably nothing. Now that two contiguous states have legalized recreational marijuana, consumers on both sides of the border may be tempted to view the region as a free-trade market.

According to Jeff McCarty, the Senior Deputy Prosecutor of Clark County, Vancouver law enforcement doesn’t have a plan in place to crack down on marijuana entering and leaving the state.

“Nothing’s going to change, as far as I know, involving local law enforcement,” said McCarty regarding adjustments to account for Oregon’s legalization. “There’s not a mechanism in place where they can monitor or prevent people from bringing small amounts of marijuana over the bridge.”

The Washington market is sure to change, too, especially in Vancouver where stores like New Vansterdam depend at least partly on Portland residents coming up to stock up on flowers, edibles, and concentrates. According to Sean Harris, New Vansterdam’s marketing director, the shop isn’t worried about sales plummeting, and will instead rely on their larger variety to keep them in the game with Washington as well as Oregon consumers.

While marijuana flower in Washington is predicted to be more expensive than Oregon’s, Harris says customers will be willing to spend the extra bucks while they are at Washington stores that provide edibles and concentrates, which Oregon shops cannot sell until late in 2016 when its market fully comes on line.

“It’s like grocery shopping,” said Harris. “The milk at Target might be more expensive than at Winco, but hey, you’re already there.”

Outside of competing prices, however, those wishing to buy recreational marijuana outside of their home state or to travel with it seemingly have nothing to worry about.

“Possession of marijuana is still a federal crime,” said McCarty. “But if somebody from Vancouver decides they’re going to drive across the border there’s not a lot we can do about that.”

Portland authorities have taken a similar stance, as Sgt. Pete Simpson told The Oregonian.

“We are not doing interdiction on people who are going there to buy their weed and bringing it back,” Simpson told the paper. “Our drugs and vice division has not and does not focus on low level drug transfers of any kind. They are working large scale operations, which is not what we are talking about.”

So while law-abiding pot smokers shouldn’t cross state borders with any amount of marijuana, a crackdown from law enforcement on consumers, for the time being, appears a non-issue.